Interior Decor and You: A Cost-Effective Guide to LARP Abodes

Contributor: Zoe
Submission: A non-fiction guide to living in luxury or lichdom in your LARPing universe.

Setting the scene in a LARP can often prove difficult. It can be time-consuming, costly, and cumbersome come set-up and take-down. However, there can be no denial that a well-decorated LARP really makes the game. Take, for instance, the library of Endgame or the Rose Tavern in Madrigal. Both of these in-game areas are carefully maintained and styled to match the feel of the gameworld; PCs and NPCs alike work hard to create spaces that contribute to the immersive post-apocalyptic or fantasy universes, respectively, of the two games. However, as anyone who has taken down Rosie's tavern, post-game, knows, a lot of effort goes into the construction of the one room tavern. For the average player, who may or may not have access to a large van or U-Haul for props and scenery, this may not be an achievable goal. Even though a truckload of Elven accessories and decor made for an incredible Eluviar party at the Madrigal highsummer, most people don’t have the will or the way to make such an extravagant gala a reality. Most often, players and staff are working with a limited time frame, budget, and storage space.

So, how does the average player or staff member deal with financial, temporal, and spatial constraints? Read on, and I’ll explain my “Still Life Theory of Minimality.”


Alright, that was way more pretentious than necessary, but the “Still Life Theory” can be a great rule-of-thumb for stunning and easy LARP decor. In essence, it’s a practice of efficiency-- for those of us who don’t have the money or time to go all-out, maximizing space and communicating a clear message is important. For inspiration, I turn to the Dutch masters of still-life: their works demonstrate how a few objects, carefully placed, can create a sense of setting and time that works really well in a LARP. First, however, I’d like to discuss space, and how to deal with it.

For most LARP, at least the combat ones that I do, the standard space for a team cabin or module is some type of campsite building. Generally, it’s a room in which campers sleep during the summer: it’s small, rectangular, and mostly wooden floors and ceilings. Bunk beds are arranged wall-to-wall; generally, there is some sort of wood table and chairs, or a spare bunk that can be used as such. Module buildings are usually similar, though without the bunk beds.

This is, despite its humble appearance, a great space. With some tapestries or fabric, you can easily decorate it to your liking. Large sheets of fabric, pinned across bunkbeds, are one of the quickest and cheapest ways to make your abode fit to your character. Batik prints are easily available online and at speciality stores; for about $10-30, you can have a well-made, lightweight print that jazzes up your space, and gives you privacy. For Mirror, Mirror, Chris and I have a greenish peacock one to mirror the palatial origins of our characters-- it also double as a tablecloth or bed sheet at home. Xehpyr Inkpen also makes and sells her own, which much more closely fit the Celtic or Fantasy themes of many games. The finished products are beautiful, and can really make the most of any space. If you don’t have the money for such fabrics, or are last minute shopping for decor, hit up your local fabric store: discount fabrics, kind of unsightly for day-to-day wear, can make the perfect accessory.

You can get really creative with simple fabric hangings. For instance, you can get a blank canvas or sheet, and paint a map onto it. Not only will this serve to liven up you space, but it can also function as a map in your team meetings. You can also custome make flags or banners that match your team logo, name, or goal. Fabric hangings can go a very long way in successfully decorating a space-- for your first event, or when you have limited space, it can even be enough. However, for people who want to expand, on a budget, I’ll now get to my “Still Life Theory of Minimality...” or something to that effect.

This is a real quantity over quality approach. You’ll need the following things.
A large, sealable plastic storage tote.
A pen and notebook.
A modest budget and a free Saturday to peruse local craft stores and antique shops.
Doable, right? The modest budget, if you have a cluttered basement or attic, may not even be necessary.

Now, spend a bit of time brainstorming your character or team. Are you a group of shadowy sorcerers interested in the arts of necromancy? Or a team of righteous vampire slayers? Or perhaps a group of mechanical engineers, stranded in post-apocalytpic New England? Or a lone warrior-monk, practiced in the arts of asceticism and meditation? After you’ve come up with some ideas, write them down. What’s the story? What message are you trying to communicate? Think of four to six objects which work in harmony together. For instance, the shadowy necromancers might think of a gem-eyed skull, ebony chalice, spellbook made of flesh, acid-colored ink and crow-feather quill, and dark table. These objects all work together to communicate a not-so-savory group-- moreover, replicas of these objects can be easily made or purchased at craftstores or cheap online venues. Skulls and evil looking goblets are frequently sold around Halloween-- after Halloween, they’re available for pennies. Creepy cobwebs or gems can be glued on to make them particularly vial.Fabric, inks and black feather quills are almost always available at craftstores. A unique and qitchy vial in which to store the ink can be found at most cheap antique shops. Finally, a spellbook can easily be made by covering a sketchbook in fabric, plaster, or leather. Inkpens, coffee grinds, and teabags can be used to decorate and age the pages.

Obviously, the combination of objects depends on your group’s theme. A small number of objects, artfully arranged, not only communicates a powerful message, but can be easily stored in a tote, and carried, with the rest of your gear, to the site. When decorating in a small space and on a budget is the individual impact of each object, and the visual punch of the entire collection. Essential to this is the minimalism, and the careful display of your collected objects. Once you get to the campsite, how and why to decorate becomes obvious. Once the practical things, such as bedding and food, have been set-up, you can be imaginative. Hang your fabric pinnings, and perhaps string lights, to give your cabin an ambiance. Fake candles or lanterns can add to this. Then, turn to your stored objects. This is where the Dutch still life comes in.

In the center of the room, or in a prominent place, situate an available table or flat raised surface. On this table, lay down your fabric of choice, and then carefully position the individual objects. The finished effect, one of both individual and collaborative visual narrative, is just like that of the Dutch paintings. When people come into your cabin or mod space, the simple harmony (or disharmony) of your LARP still life will immediately communicate your character, team, and style of gameplay. It’s easy, cheap, and efficient; more importantly, however, it allows you to add to the immersive LARP universe.

Inspiration can be hard, so I’ve included a couple of my favorite still-lifes, and links to props. Art can be a great inspiration for decor, especially high-fantasy styles. 



Still Life with Skull and Writing Quill, 1628
Fake skull, goblet, spell book, ink pen and quill, candle stand, and talisman on green fabric
Total: about $47 (and much cheaper if you get post-Halloween stuff)


 

Still Life with Porcelain Jar
Replica Ming pottery (set or separate, you can get these cheaply), decorative silver tray, fruits and confections from your grocery store, mechanical bird accessory on brocade
Total: about $50 (again, local flea markets are great places to find very cheap silverware or ceramics)


 

Still Life, Academic
Old atlas, old dictionary, part of an encyclopedia set (you can often find these old books at library sales, at used book stores, or in your basement for-- they generally cost 3 or 4 dollars at most), ink and quill (see above), hourglass, antique globe, vial filled with sand or pebbles on blue or silver satin
Total cost: about $35


So, have fun! $50 is generally not too bad for really nice decor-- if you hunt, you can find most of these items at even lower prices. Plus, if you have a team, each person can be responsible for one or two items, spreading out the cost burden.